2007年VOA标准英语-Opposition Democrats Give Bush Budget Chilly Re

By Dan Robinson
Washington
06 February 2007

The $2.9 trillion federal budget President Bush sent to Congress on Monday is receiving a chilly¹ reception from majority Democrats². VOA's Dan Robinson reports on Democratic criticisms on domestic and foreign matters, as well as reaction from minority Republicans.

fiscal3 2008 federal budget at end of Cabinet meeting, 5 Feb. 2007 " hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070519/1104450.jpg" width="210" vspace="2" border="0" />

President Bush, right, holds up copy of fiscal 2008 federal budget at end of Cabinet meeting, 5 Feb. 2007

This is the first time the president's budget has faced a Congress in which the House and the Senate are controlled by Democrats vowing⁴ to take a close look at his spending plan.

At nearly $3 trillion, it seeks at least $78 billion in savings⁵ over five years by limiting growth in popular and politically sensitive Medicare and Medicaid programs, while assuming congressional action to make tax cuts permanent.

Sharply criticized by Democrats and by Republican fiscal conservatives for deficit⁶ spending, the president projects his plan will eventually lead to a surplus by the year 2012.

Congressman⁷ John Spratt, who chairs the House Budget Committee, says a realistic look at the budget shows it leads the nation deeper into debt. "What we are seeing with this budget when you look at it realistically, is it is really not something new and different, not a new-found commitment to fiscal responsibility, but more of the same," he said.

Senate Budget Committee chairman Kent Conrad sums up his view of the president's proposals. "Like the previous proposals of this president, I would characterize this proposal as filled with debt and deception⁸, it is disconnected from reality, and it continues to move America in the wrong direction," he said.

But the president's budget director, Rob Portman, calls the document "good news" for the American people. "It is a credible⁹ and more transparent¹⁰ budget. Instead of painting a rosy¹¹ scenario¹² on revenues to get to balance, we take a cautious approach. We have shown full war costs for the rest of this administration, and some of 2009. We have also included these war costs as war supplementals as part of the budget this year, in a more transparent, timely and comprehensive way than ever before," he said.

Portman refers to the $141 billion the administration has requested for Iraq and Afghanistan operations for the 2008 fiscal year beginning in October.

But the president has also asked for $93 billion for what is called "emergency" funding, which combined with other funds approved last year pushes spending on Iraq and Afghanistan in 2007 to about $163 billion.

That is "an enormous sum", in the view of Democratic Congressman Ike Skelton, who vows¹³ to use his Armed Services Committee to subject the budget to close scrutiny¹⁴.

House Republican responses focused on what they called "common sense" proposals in the president's plan, while opposing tax increases and urging Democrats to work for bipartisan compromises as the budget process plays out.

On the foreign affairs portion of the budget, the new Democratic head of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Congressman Tom Lantos, faults the plan for under-funding U.S. contributions to United nations peacekeeping operations in Sudan, Congo, Liberia, Haiti and Lebanon.

The annual budget exercise now begins in earnest, as congressional committees call Bush administration officials to defend their portions of the spending plan.

This week, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense¹⁵ Secretary Robert Gates, among others, are going before House panels which are also examining such issues as waste of U.S. funds designated for reconstruction¹⁶ in Iraq.

1 chilly   

adj.凉快的，寒冷的

参考例句：

• I feel chilly without a coat.我由于没有穿大衣而感到凉飕飕的。
• I grew chilly when the fire went out.炉火熄灭后，寒气逼人。

2 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。

4 vowing   

起誓，发誓（vow的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• President Bush is vowing to help Minneapolis rebuild its collapsed bridge. 布什总统承诺将帮助明尼阿波利斯重建坍塌的大桥。
• President Bush is vowing to help Minneapolis rebuild this collapse bridge. 布什总统发誓要帮助明尼阿波利斯重建起这座坍塌的桥梁。

5 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

6 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

7 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

8 deception   

n.欺骗，欺诈；骗局，诡计

参考例句：

• He admitted conspiring to obtain property by deception.他承认曾与人合谋骗取财产。
• He was jailed for two years for fraud and deception.他因为诈骗和欺诈入狱服刑两年。

9 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？

10 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

11 rosy   

adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的

参考例句：

• She got a new job and her life looks rosy.她找到一份新工作，生活看上去很美好。
• She always takes a rosy view of life.她总是对生活持乐观态度。

12 scenario   

n.剧本，脚本；概要

参考例句：

• But the birth scenario is not completely accurate.然而分娩脚本并非完全准确的。
• This is a totally different scenario.这是完全不同的剧本。

13 vows   

誓言( vow的名词复数 )； 郑重宣布，许愿

参考例句：

• Matrimonial vows are to show the faithfulness of the new couple. 婚誓体现了新婚夫妇对婚姻的忠诚。
• The nun took strait vows. 那位修女立下严格的誓愿。

14 scrutiny   

n.详细检查，仔细观察

参考例句：

• His work looks all right,but it will not bear scrutiny.他的工作似乎很好，但是经不起仔细检查。
• Few wives in their forties can weather such a scrutiny.很少年过四十的妻子经得起这么仔细的观察。

15 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

16 reconstruction   

n.重建，再现，复原

参考例句：

• The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war.战后，该国面临着重建家园的艰巨任务。
• In the period of reconstruction,technique decides everything.在重建时期，技术决定一切。